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 ...Tonight's Season Premiere of Survivor

Every season of Survivor (USA) is quite different. There are twists and turns, and the producers try to introduce new things to keep people on their toes. But the main difference each season is the contestants and how they interact with one another.

I have seen the early interviews of each contestant prior to this first episode, and it's obvious that the producers cast the most unique cast of at least the modern (i.e. post-pandemic) era, and quite possibly of all time. Each has a unique path for what made them apply in the first place, and now they are being thrown together to see what's up. I will not name names, but here is a sample of some of who we have playing:

  • A man whose house was raided by police at a very young age and realized at that moment that he might have rely on himself to survive.
  • A man whose family encouraged him to apply but is so convinced he's going to be the first person voted out that they're throwing a party tonight to celebrate it.
  • A woman who applied after getting introduced to the show by seeing her psychic watching it.
  • A woman who cites as an advantage her multiple food allergies, so she knows what it is like to endure starvation. 
  • A man who uses shred as a noun, verb, or whatever akin to the a certain kids' cartoon about small blue people.
  • A woman who has been seen in the Sneak Peek of the first episode carrying a giant puzzle piece  on her back (one that even some of the men had to roll to get across the beach)

So in a very real sense, there are new forces being brought into play. The usual dynamics of having to work with people until it's time to vote them out still applies, but how each player seeks to accomplish this is unclear at the moment. But I have a blank wall next to the television and far too many sticky notes for my own good, to it is being turned into a Survivor tracking area. Who gets voted out when who is in each tribe (the show starts with tribes and each week one member of the losing tribe gets booted; there is a possibility that tribe composition gets swapped) and any potential advantages can all be displayed for quick reference. 

Speaking of advantages, there are very few advantages in the modern era that don't come with a risk. A player can earn an advantage by risking their next vote, for example. Or maybe the player will have to work for the advantage but can't vote until the advantage is earned. This also comes into play with the advantage that everyone has started out with the last five seasons: the Shot in the Dark. Each player has one token they can use to sacrifice their vote for a 1 in 6 shot of being safe from elimination that vote. It has come up in the person's favor twice, once when all the votes were for the player using it. 

Personally, I would like to see a variation on this used in the future I call Play the Numbers. Instead of a flat 1 in 6 chance, you have the opportunity to make yourself safe if you can guess the exact number of votes that will be cast against you. With other advantages risking votes, this is not as easy as it might sound. But 1 tend to view 1 in 6 in such a situation as desperation, whereas something you have to guess accurately is more of a strategic move, which I prefer. 


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